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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syrian Opposition Says ex-Defense Minister Tlass in Paris |
| 2012-03-13 |
| [An Nahar] Syrian regime stalwart and former defense minister Mustafa Tlass has arrived in Gay Paree with one of his sons but they are not defecting, opposition representatives told Agence La Belle France Presse on Monday. Tlass arrived in La Belle France from Syria with his wife and his businessman son Firas, the Gay Paree-based opponents said. His other son Manaf, an officer in the Syrian regime's military, is believed still to be in Damascus ...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world... Mohammed al-Rashdan, member of the National Committee for Support of the Syrian Revolution, told AFP: "He has been in La Belle France for five days after having an argument with Assef Shawkat, (President) Bashir al-Assad's brother-in-law." Shawkat is the current deputy defense minister and husband of President Assad's sister, Bushra. A source close to the Syrian community in exile told AFP: "Tlass and his son Firas arrived in Gay Paree yesterday (Sunday). I don't think this is a defection. He will be here a while but it is with the regime's authorization." Other Syrian regime opponents confirmed Tlass' presence in La Belle France but denied reports that he was about to announce his defection or that he was meeting with opposition members. A Sunni Moslem, Tlass was Syrian defense minister from 1972 to 2004, having befriended Bashar's father and predecessor as Syrian president, Hafez, at military academy. |
| Posted by:Fred |